At the Khalsa Diwan Society's Sikh Gurdwara, located on the southern edge of Vancouver, a large crowd of supporters gathered at the temple before filing inside.

With their heads covered with a cloth - customary before entering a gurudwara - PM Modi and Prime Minister Harper offered prayers at the Gurudwara Khalsa Diwan. Later, both visited the Laxmi Narain Temple where Mr Modi received a rousing reception. Saying that he was honoured to host one of the world's great leaders, PM Harper said that India and Canada were "natural partners".

The president of the historic Sikh society, which has roots stretching back more than 100 years in B C, said Modi will be the third Indian Prime Minister to visit, after Jawaharlal Nehru's visit in 1949 and Indira Gandhi's 42 years ago.

Moreover, PM Modi also visited the memorial in Toronto for the victims of Air India Flight 182 that was bombed in 1985, killing all 329 people on board. 268 of them were Canadian citizens, mostly of Indian descent. There were 24 Indian and 27 Britons as well.

"PM @narendramodi and @pmharper at the Air India memorial," Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson of the external affairs ministry, tweeted.